From Fantasy to the Reality and The Search for Human Goodness in “The Green Knight”

The Green Knight is Iris Murdoch’s 25th novel, first published in 1993. It is a vast moral and intellectual masterwork, set in contemporary London, about an enclosed group of people, which is made up of characters from middle and upper class intellectuals. Murdoch through the novel evokes the story of Cain and Abel, as well as the medieval romance ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ in which the magical intruder tests the integrity of the gallant Sir Gawain. Therefore the elements of magical circumstances abound. Clement’s parents first could not have children and adopted Lucas, but then Clement was born. There is a strange relationship between them, which is compared to the relationship between Cain and Abel from the Biblical story

The Moral Vision of Iris Murdochin her First Novel “Under the Net”

Iris Murdoch is one of the prominent mid-twentieth century novelists as well as a notable philosopher. In her works and novels what she sought was to illustrate a personal vision of man’s morality. This paper tries to show how Iris Murdoch’s novel reflects her moral vision. It is shown that her novel is not mere exemplification of her ideas expressed in her philosophical books. And, in her novels she depicted real characters in real society. For her, man’s capacity to love and to phantasies is a saving grace. This love is born out of caring for and ‘attention to others’, a phrase that Murdoch borrowed from Simone Weil. Murdoch’s novels as she has described are pilgrimage from illusion towards reality and also pointed out that ‘reality ‘as such is never arrived at in the books, any more than it is in life. She believes that morality is connected with change and progress. The study of this novel shows how Jake does his pilgrimage and sees true goodness through gradual apprehension of goodness in his surroundings

The Moral Vision of Iris Murdochin her First Novel “Under the Net”

Iris Murdoch is one of the prominent mid-twentieth century novelists as well as a notable philosopher. In her works and novels what she sought was to illustrate a personal vision of man’s morality. This paper tries to show how Iris Murdoch’s novel reflects her moral vision. It is shown that her novel is not mere exemplification of her ideas expressed in her philosophical books. And, in her novels she depicted real characters in real society. For her, man’s capacity to love and to phantasies is a saving grace. This love is born out of caring for and ‘attention to others’, a phrase that Murdoch borrowed from Simone Weil. Murdoch’s novels as she has described are pilgrimage from illusion towards reality and also pointed out that ‘reality ‘as such is never arrived at in the books, any more than it is in life. She believes that morality is connected with change and progress. The study of this novel shows how Jake does his pilgrimage and sees true goodness through gradual apprehension of goodness in his surroundings

Religious Elements in Iris Murdoch’s 'The Sea, the Sea'

One of the major themes in Iris Murdoch’s writings is the relation between art, morals and religion. Murdoch believes that the purification or transformation of consciousness requires finding an object of attention which lies outside us and which is capable of creating new source of energy. The religious element to this novel is very important and it emphasizes on Buddhism as a source of behavioral attitudes, spiritual enlightenment, and ultimate liberation in a world that has lost its religious consciousness. The Sea, the Sea is about a man obsessed with an adolescent romance. It is the self-told story of Charles Arrowby, a prominent London theatre director who retires from the limelight and decides, one day, to withdraw from the world and dwell in seclusion in a house by the sea. He has come to abjure magic both the magic of the theatre and personal power. That it is hard to give up power or significantly change is one of the book’s messages. The Tempest is about the nature of dreams and reality, but it is also about the surrendering of magic. Through the prism of Buddhist teachings and Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, Murdoch makes a powerful statement about the surrender of magic, the practice of dying, and the making of art. At the end of the novel Charles learns to begin to embrace a healing surrender to the particulars of the world he inhabits and realizes that he was a dreamer who was reading his own dream text and not looking at the reality

Moral, Good and Art in Iris Murdoch’s Thought

The moral philosophy of Murdoch presents an important challenge to current ethical inquiry: the effort to reclaim a notion of the self as individual and to reconceive its relation to an idea of moral value or the good. Murdoch believes “the self, the place where we live, is a place of illusion. Goodness is connected with the attempt to see the unself, to see and to respond to the real world in the light of a virtuous consciousness.” According to Murdoch, moral philosophy at the first should provide an accurate picture of man and show how, man may improve morally. In The Sovereignty of Good Murdoch refers to some techniques of unselfing. This paper aims to show in brief that how good effects moral change and how art provides an occasion for unselfing. It will be shown that how some characters in her novels become far from their self and close to the reality

The Place of Sun in the Vedas and Ancient Iranian literature

Sun is very important in the Vedas Ancient Iranian literature. It is known by two names in the Vedic hymns namely Sūrya and Savitr. Sometimes one name occurs exclusively, sometimes they are used interchangeably and sometimes they are used as though they represent quite distinct object. It is supposed that Savitr is referred to the Sun when it is invisible; while Sūrya refers to him when he is visible to the worshippers. Sun is the name of an ancient Iranian god and it is the name of a “Yazata” in the Avesta book. The Avestan form of this word is “Hvarexšaeta” (Hvarekhshaeta) and it is said “Xvaršēt” in the Pahlavi texts, and “Xoršid” (Khoshid) in the Persian. The Sun from a long time ago was praised by Aryan people and ancient Iranian even before Zoroaster. Greek Historians have written something about Iranian who respected the Sun and Sun shine

Some similarities of Vâyu in the ancient Indian and Iranian religion books: A focus on Vedas and Avesta

The name of God Vâyu has been mentioned in the Vedas as well as Avesta Book. Vâyu in the Rig Veda is very often associated with Indra and is regarded equally with him, as representing or rulingover the atmosphere.  He won the race for the first draught of Soma Juice andat Indra’s request allowed him to have a quarter of it. The two worlds are said to have generated him for wealth.  He is once spoken of as the son in law of Tavshtri, though his wife’s name is not mentioned.  In the Purusa hymn he is said to have sprung from the breath of world giant.  Vâyu is rarely connected with the Maruts. He is however, once said to have generated them from the wombs of heaven and to be accompanied by them as well as by puşan and Vishvedevas.  His personal attributes are rather indefinite.  He is beautiful and with Indra is spoken of as touching sky, swift as thought, and thousand-eyed.  He is once said to have roaring velocity.  Vâyu has a shining car drawn by a team bya pair of red (rohita) or raddy (aruna) steeds. Vâyu in the Avesta Bookis Vayu (with the short vowel  a) and it is the god of wind.  This name has been also applied as Veyu, Vâyu, Vay and Andarvây in the pahlavi  Book. Vaya in Avesta is the name of wind element as well as god of wind.  In fact Vayuis beside of water, fire and earth to complete the four elements. One Yasht of Avesta Book namely Râm Yasht is in praise of Vayu. According to details of this Yashts, Vayu is the space which is connected to the paradise world fromabove and to the dark world from dawn, viz Vayu is the space which separates the creation of holy wisdom (Ahuramzda)from bad and dirty creation. Therefore, in Avest Book, there are two fold Vayu, first, a god, who protects the pure and useful air and The Second, the demon who is the source of impure and prejudicial air. In Avesta Book, on the top of worshippers first Ahuramazda and then many great persons among them kings, heroes, invoked the god Vayu, and offer up him a sacrifice and bagged some boons. He granted their boons. Sometimes some of the Ahriman creation also offers up a sacrifice for Vayu and bagged someboons but they are not granted by him. There are some similarity and difference between Vâyu in Vedas and Vayu in the Avesta book

Some similarities of Vâyu in the ancient Indian and Iranian religion books: A focus on Vedas and Avesta

The name of God Vâyu has been mentioned in the Vedas as well as Avesta Book. Vâyu in the Rig Veda is very often associated with Indra and is regarded equally with him, as representing or rulingover the atmosphere.  He won the race for the first draught of Soma Juice andat Indra’s request allowed him to have a quarter of it. The two worlds are said to have generated him for wealth.  He is once spoken of as the son in law of Tavshtri, though his wife’s name is not mentioned.  In the Purusa hymn he is said to have sprung from the breath of world giant.  Vâyu is rarely connected with the Maruts. He is however, once said to have generated them from the wombs of heaven and to be accompanied by them as well as by puşan and Vishvedevas.  His personal attributes are rather indefinite.  He is beautiful and with Indra is spoken of as touching sky, swift as thought, and thousand-eyed.  He is once said to have roaring velocity.  Vâyu has a shining car drawn by a team bya pair of red (rohita) or raddy (aruna) steeds. Vâyu in the Avesta Bookis Vayu (with the short vowel  a) and it is the god of wind.  This name has been also applied as Veyu, Vâyu, Vay and Andarvây in the pahlavi  Book. Vaya in Avesta is the name of wind element as well as god of wind.  In fact Vayuis beside of water, fire and earth to complete the four elements. One Yasht of Avesta Book namely Râm Yasht is in praise of Vayu. According to details of this Yashts, Vayu is the space which is connected to the paradise world fromabove and to the dark world from dawn, viz Vayu is the space which separates the creation of holy wisdom (Ahuramzda)from bad and dirty creation. Therefore, in Avest Book, there are two fold Vayu, first, a god, who protects the pure and useful air and The Second, the demon who is the source of impure and prejudicial air. In Avesta Book, on the top of worshippers first Ahuramazda and then many great persons among them kings, heroes, invoked the god Vayu, and offer up him a sacrifice and bagged some boons. He granted their boons. Sometimes some of the Ahriman creation also offers up a sacrifice for Vayu and bagged someboons but they are not granted by him. There are some similarity and difference between Vâyu in Vedas and Vayu in the Avesta book